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HUMAN BILLBOARD SHAKES UP ADVERTISING WORLD

Posted: 03-11-2005 | Views: 85 Author: Steve Blom You all may remember this famous headline which appeared on thousands of Internet sites, news outlets, and in the News of the Weird sections of local newspapers. This type of story gained momentum after Andrew Fischer of Omaha Nebraska auctioned his forehead on eBay for 30 days of temporary advertising. He was paid $37,375 in the end.
Now after laughing a bit from the absurdity of it all, it dawned on me that there must be some underlying need in the advertising community for alternative promotions.

Sure enough while doing research for another article on the advertising industry, the words TiVo came up more times than I could count. What is the “TiVo problem?” It is all about consumers who fast-forward through the commercials associated with television shows that they copy to their TiVo system. Madison Avenue refers to this as “ad avoidance.” Advertisers call this their worst nightmare.

Well, after some brainstorming I figured out a sure-fire way to make millions and help out advertisers - make a walking billboard. My idea was grand. Get people to wear a billboard promoting a company or product, develop a catchy design that grabs attention, and then find out some incentive for the people to wear the billboard for free. I was onto something and felt I needed to get some extra advice from a marketing genius with whom I roomed in college.

I met my buddy in a coffee shop and carefully laid out my plan. When I finished my outline, I looked to him in mounting anticipation for some sage advice. At first he laughed and then he scornfully stated the obvious, “Your new invention is called a t-shirt, you idiot.” The next sound was that of hissing air from the imaginary balloon in my head. My buddy then continued on by saying that I wasn't a complete fool, and that smart companies were now taking T-shirt branding very seriously. Unique designs for T-shirts were now being developed and used in the thousands by corporations who have to somehow figure out new ways to get in front of people.

My buddy then asked me if I had ever heard of Mr. Merch Graphics. I didn't know if he was referring to a college marketing professor or some marketing guru. It turns out that he was talking about the leader in the “apparel branding industry.” I knew then that my next story was going to revolve around the evolution of the T-shirt as an advertising medium.

When I called up Mr. Merch Graphics (www.mrmerch.com ), the company, I was half expecting to begin my interview with an old hippie from the 60's, who started out in the t-shirt world with tie dye. The person I ended up talking to was Joe Dominick, who I can safely report is not a long time resident of Haight Ashbury. (For all you youngsters out there, those were the two cross streets in San Francisco that some say was the birth place of the 60's revolution.) Here was a very sharp guy who pretty much gave me a college degree in apparel branding in about 20 minutes.

Considering that his client list included such corporate giants as Avis, Capitol One, Merck, and Dove, I was pretty much going to shut up and listen. “You have to understand how valuable continuous branding is when thinking of a T-shirt,” states Dominick. “If you have someone sitting in front of you for an hour with an impressive T-shirt, you're going to look at what it says.”

Dominick went on to tell me about the key to effective T-shirt presence-Design. “If your going to use the T-shirt as a promotional medium, design is the key,” warns one of the founders of Mr. Merch Graphics. “One should spend the time to develop a unique design because people will then want to wear it more, which gets your brand out. A good design will also attract attention and isn't that why you are using the T-shirt as a marketing tool?” asked Dominick.

I could see now why Mr. Merch Graphics had such an enviable client list. Joe went on to say that they didn't just work with corporate giants. He said they work with small, medium and large companies. Dominick is also proud of his successful track record with colleges and high schools. Virginia Tech, one of my favorite college football teams, uses Joe's company for their branding. “We make a great T-shirt, bottom line,” announces Dominick at the end of my interview. I can't say that I disagree.

Well, my days are over as a great human billboard mogul, thanks to my college buddy and guys like Joe Dominick. I did get something out of this though. My son starts his little league baseball season soon, and I know the person I'll be calling for the team's T-shirts. That's right, Mr. Merch Graphic's Joe Dominick. Maybe they'll give me a discount?

Bob Cefail
Publisher
Press Direct International


About The Author:

www.mrmerch.com